Staff Relations Service

What Is the Staff Relations Service?

The Staff Relations Service (SRS) is a facilitation service that provides active members of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) with a non-legal mechanism for resolving problems in staff relations. Operated under an agreement between the ATA and the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS), the SRS functions independently of either organization. The ATA supervises and pays the cost of operating the SRS and appoints the director (currently Val Riewe). The services of the SRS are available at no cost to active members of the ATA and CASS.

How Does the SRS Work?

1. An active member of the ATA or CASS alerts the ATA about a problem in staff relations that is impeding a cohesive working environment in a school. In some cases, ATA staff may identify situations that have the potential to be resolved through facilitation.
2. The ATA's Coordinator of Member Services reviews the case to determine whether it meets the following criteria:
   • The members have made reasonable efforts to resolve the concern internally and on an informal basis.
   • The members reasonably believe that the concern can be rectified through facilitation rather than through formal discipline or grievance procedures.
   • The members are willing to have their identities revealed.
   • The members agree to sign a legal undertaking not to use knowledge gained during the facilitation process or the results of an SRS investigation in any subsequent proceedings that they might undertake.
3. If the case meets the criteria, the Coordinator of Member Services may refer it to the director of the SRS.
4. The director of the SRS reviews the matter and contacts the individuals involved to explain the process and to ensure that they are willing to proceed.
5. If the parties agree to facilitation, the director of the SRS appoints a team of at least two individuals (one CASS appointee and one ATA appointee) to work with the school staff. These appointees are drawn from a panel of 15 retired teachers and administrators (10 appointed by the ATA and five appointed by CASS) who have been specifically trained for this purpose. If the number of staff involved or the nature of the matter requires additional team members, the director may add more ATA appointees to the facilitation team.
6. The director of the SRS makes the necessary arrangements with the district and school administration.
7. The team meets individually or collectively with the members involved in an attempt to resolve the concern. Several meetings may be necessary.
8. If the team believes that the situation has been resolved satisfactorily, it advises the director, who, in turn, informs the ATA. Team members and the director destroy all notes, records and reports relating to the situation.
9. If the team believes that the situation has not been resolved satisfactorily, it prepares and submits to the director a brief report, which does not lay blame or make recriminatory statements. The director forwards a copy of the report to the ATA and reviews a copy of the report with the superintendent of the school jurisdiction concerned. Team members and the director destroy all notes, records and reports relating to the situation.

What If the SRS Does Not Resolve the Issue?

In the event that the SRS process does not resolve the dispute successfully, the individuals involved continue to have all the same options open to them as before the process began. The only caveat—and an extremely important one—is that they must agree to keep the proceedings confidential and to refrain from using any knowledge gained during the process in any subsequent proceedings.